Does S. Korea's President Hold The Trump Card For The Korean Peninsula?

S. Korea's President Moon Jae-In said his country has a veto on any American preemptive strike on N. Korea.  Trump and America's military leaders know where President Moon is coming from and his willingness to start a dialog with the leaders of N. Korea.  Moon sees the N. Koreans and Trump escalating their threats and S. Korea sits right smack in the middle of harms way only a stones throw from N. Korea.

Our military leaders have been telling us that if the U.S. attacks N. Korea they would respond on S. Korea with horrific destruction and loss of life.  If their predictions are truthful and accurate its easy to understand the predicament the U.S. is in.  And its much easier to understand the predicament S.Korea is in.  S. Korea's leaders know that and feel they have veto power over any independent action by the U.S.

There is another big problem.  The U.S. has 20,000 plus troops in S. Korea and S. Korea could say withdraw your troops from our soil.  Those troops would also be in harms way from a N. Korean attack.  And contrary to what the story line says, American troops are not in S. Korea only to protect that country.  They are there because they are close to China and in Asia where our military thinks they are needed to respond to conflicts in that area and Chinese expansion.

The best prospect for the Korean people is still for the North and South to unite into one nation and one people with out interference.  This writer suspects S. Korea's Moon knows that and will try to lay the ground work to do that in time.  Future threats from N. Korea and or Trump may speed up his time table.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

How Long Does It Take To Understand President Trump's Un-American Attitude and The Damage He Has Done To America?

Well, if you are a republican in congress or a conservative opinion writer it make take forever.  What happened in Charlottesville ruffled a few republicans in congress to criticize Trump's double talk response to the violence but they still support him.  New York's republican representative in the U.S. House Peter King said Trump's white house strategist Steve Bannon should be fired and his time in the white house should be over.

Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker said Trump has not demonstrated stability or competence or that he understands what has made this nation great.  Times Picayune conservative opinion writer Tim Morris in an article dated 8/16 said Trump needs to remove the alt-right influence in the white house starting with Steve Bannon, a key Trump adviser.  A few other republicans in congress followed and criticized Trump's double talk.

Steve Bannon was the top man at Breitbart, a right wing extremist publication that supported white nationalist and other extreme causes.  Trump hired him to work in his 2016 campaign as chief strategist, stayed on after Trump's election and was appointed by Trump to sit on the National Security Council which he had no experience.  Bannon was quoted as saying racial strife was a winning issue for Trump

Of course, the republicans in congress and Tim Morris knew of Bannon's back ground from day one and were silent the whole time until Charlottesville.  They were even aware of Trump's willingness to play up to various hate groups as part of his base.  The main street media exposed the relationship between Trump and Bannon to their credit and also the right wing ideology they were pushing.

Hillary Clinton and the democratic party also warned of the relationship and spoke out about the dangers of Trump's willingness to accept the support of hate groups.  Clinton even made a point of it during the debates and spoke out forcefully against hate, racism and bigotry.  There were no doubts where she stood.  There was timely warning before hand and as we now know was not really a political warning but a warning how giving hate groups legitimacy would compromise what America stands for.

Hillary Clinton was also right about every thing she said that Trump was not qualified to be President.  What she predicted would happen if Trump was elected President has happened.  And in a few weeks, the republicans in congress and Tim Morris will have forgotten about the President's Un-American response to the tragic events at Charlottesville and continue their support for Trump and their own right wing agenda.  They will also go back to their ditto head game of passing the buck and blame on any thing democratic.

It took a tragedy to bring some republicans and Tim Morris around to recognize and admit the truth about Trump, Bannon and their connection to hate, racism and bigotry.  Fifty four percent of the voting public understood the connection early on and voted against Donald Trump in the November general election.  And the crooked candidate in that race was Donald Trump.  Hillary Clinton not only won the popular vote by a wide margin, when the election ended, she emerged as THE CANDIDATE WITH THE MORAL CHARACTER TO TELL THE TRUTH.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

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The American Flag Of The United States of America

It is the only flag we pledge allegiance too.  It flies at the top of the U.S. Capitol and all state capitols.  The United States military raises its colors every morning at military installations.  It is the flag we take to war if war comes and represents a democracy we fight for.  There is a respect as to how it is raised and lowered and how it is folded.  We never let it touch the ground.  It represents liberty, strength, freedom, justice and trust.  It covers the coffins of millions of Americans who served their country in uniform.  There is a procedure to follow when the flag has to be taken out of service because of wear and tear.  It is America's conscience.

So why do protesters have to carry the confederate flag, a Nazi flag or a swastika symbol if they are sincere in their protest.  Why use such flags and symbols that represent the past.  The confederate flag is part of American's past history and as such had its time.  But that was so long ago.  Hate groups and individuals have used it to promote racism, bigotry and white supremacy.  We know that as a fact because its been exposed.  And when Nazi symbols, signs and flags are used that represents the worst of the worst.  The removal of confederate monuments do not change history as some think.  It is part of an everlasting process of change that takes place in a democracy.


Flags and symbols that are used in a hateful way will accomplish very little and do more harm than good.  And any time an issue is taken to the extreme, bad things happen.  The United States is a diversified country but we are still one people with one flag and one country under God.  It is the American flag that give the people the right to protest, not the confederate flag or Nazi symbols.  The American flag, that star spangle banner can unite us all and govern every ones behavior.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Mayor Mitch Landrieu and New Orleans Confederate Monuments

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu understands there are those in all walks of life who would use any excuse to divide, create violence and promote their extreme views.  What happened in Charlottesville is a good reminder and Landrieu seemed to understand that long ago.  So he proceeded on a path to remove several confederate monuments in his desire to defuse a possible future situation that could divide the people, get out of control, injure some one and even bring death.  

But Landrieu is not just another elected official, he is a truly public servant and as such announced his plans to the public, held public hearings before the City Council and public meetings in various parts of the city to obtain comments and input.  His transparency kept every one informed.  The process lasted almost two years before the monuments came down.  The Mayor never backed down from his commitment and the people knew where he stood on the issue.

Many opposed Landrieu's position and thought the Mayor had other political reasons behind his decision and that the security of the city and its people were not the issue.  But what took place in Charlottesville changes the matter as the violence there took place in protest of the City removing the confederate stature of General Robert E. Lee.  And now we see more Mayors and Governors coming forward saying they will start the process of removing confederate monuments in their Cities and States.

New Orleans, "the city that care forgot" has a Mayor who cared enough to make a tough decision that would bring him much criticism and many nasty comments just because he thought it was the right thing to do.  The Mayor stood tall and the Mayors and Governors of other cities and states now understand the wisdom behind Mayor Landrieu's actions.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Charlottesville: The President Continues His Treachery

President Trump continues to betray the Presidency and what American Presidents stand for with his lack of moral behavior.  The President's initial statement concerning the Charlottesville riots and his follow up statements did not sit well with the people and the world and reflected the President's inability to separate himself and his office from the hate groups that Trump counted on as part of his base during the Presidential campaign of 2016.  Nor did it stop Trump from pandering to them since he took office.

Past Presidents stood up to hate groups and their bigotry and racism attitude and division and knew America was better than that.  Trumps lack of morality stems from his business dealings.  He has always had enough money to intimidate others that got in his way and has carried that corrupt attitude to the White House and the Presidency.

Trumps lack of statesmanship concerning what happened in Charlottesville is no surprise to this writer.  He played to the hate groups during the 2016 campaign and even asked his supporters to show the door to protesters at his rallies.  The shame is that conservative opinion writers kept making up excuses for Trump and his lies, his fake news and his alternate facts and were silent the whole time Trump was catering to his hate group supporters.

Hate groups that carry the Nazis flag or symbol, the confederate flag or who wear hoods are only interested in dividing the country and its people and found a divider in President Trump.  Thousands of Americans died during WWII fighting Nazis Germany and Germany has banned the Nazis flag and symbol in public because of the horrors connected to Nazi Germany.

Hillary Clinton's response to what happened was timely, thoughtful and reflected American values and morality.  Most Americans and foreign comments took aim at Trump's response and his lack of understanding what makes America the leader of the free world.  A number of business CEO's appointed by Trump to his business council resigned because of Trump's inadequate response.  Republicans in congress and the conservative news media will continue their week responses to Trump's treachery and then it will be business as usual for them and their ditto head mentality.

PolitiDose long ago reported that Trump was a traitor to America and the people, that he lacked morals and respect for the Presidency, was unfit for office  and that he betrayed the ideals and respect that has made American the greatest country in the world for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Impeachment is the only answer for this President.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate For July

The U.S. economy created 209,000 jobs in July, down from the 222,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate came in at 4.3% .   It was the 82nd. straight month of positive job growth as the economy continues to move forward.  The Labor Department announced that economic conditions are still broad based and with momentum.

 Trump said that many companies are moving back to the U.S. with more to come that will create jobs.  Those jobs do not show up in the stats yet because Trumps words have not turned into facts yet.  There is nothing new on NAFTA as far as changes that Trump said would be made nor has there been any agreement with China on trade.

Sooner or later those factors will have to be considered when decisions will actually take place.  And those decisions could affect the economy in a positive or negative way.  Until that comes about the economy needs to stay on a healthy path.  The most important thing to watch for now is the time it takes Congress to move forward on legislation that impact the economy and job creation.

Congress does not return to work until after Labor Day and already some republicans are saying no major legislation will happen this year.  That should be unacceptable because 7 months have already been wasted.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Mayor Mitch Landrieu Steps Up To The Plate

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu declared the "buck ultimately stops with me" concerning the recent flooding and the S&WB's problems and outlined what steps he has taken so far and what future steps he will take to change the direction of the way the S&WB operates.  This writer was not surprised by Landrieu's statement because the Mayor has never been a politician who passed the buck while serving in elected office.  And Democrats are so much better accepting responsibility than their republican colleges.  The electorate knows where democrats stand on the issues.

Recent republican buck passing should be fresh in people's mind and especially in Louisiana.  President Trump blamed Mitch McConnell and three other republicans for failing to repeal and replace the ACA even though Trump's position was it would be easy with a republican President and republicans in control of congress and do it in a short period of time.  Louisiana's U.S Senator, Bill Cassidy would not tell Louisiana how he would vote on his party's health care plan because he said he had not read all the plan.  But he voted for it and knew he would all along.  John Kennedy, Louisiana's other U.S. Senator, voted for it also and always knew he would also.

The record speaks for itself when it comes to republicans passing the buck and blaming others for events that happen on their watch.  Landrieu has less than a year left in office and he will do the right thing to correct the problems and fully define the deficiency of the S&WB.  The total problem won't be solved on his watch because 30 years of neglect is not correctable in a short time span.  But a serious start will take place and the Mayor will keep the people up to date and involved.

How does this writer know that?  Because Landrieu is a serious public servant who cares and the good and positive things he has accomplished while in office, out weigh the negatives by far.  And a future S&WB will be better than the past because Mayor Landrieu bit the bullet.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Two Unstable Leaders Playing A Game Of Chicken With People's Lives.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un are engaged in a war of playing chicken threatening war with each other that would likely kill many innocent people.  Part of the escalation comes from our own government and news media who have decided in the last few days to describe North Korea as a full fledged nuclear power.  However, our own intelligence community says N. Korea has not reached that stage yet.

It reminds this writer of the run up to war in Iraq, only this time America and N. Korean leaders are unstable which raises the possibility that a war could break out because of miscalculation on either side.  Both leaders have a big mouth and like to talk tough which mask their feelings of being inadequate, so both share some similarity.  Trump and Kim Jong both like attention and are lacking the norms of civil behavior.  But the attention that both seek is void of real dialog.

Kim Jong is not testing ICBM missiles with a range of 2000 plus miles because he wants to attack S. Korea, especially Seoul the capitol where 10 million people live and only 35 miles from the DMZ.  The U.S. also has 20,000 troops in S. Korea who have been there since the end of the war in July 1953.  S. Korea would be an easy target but Kim Jong is looking for recognition and using his missiles for that purpose.  He seeks the respect of other nuclear powers.  He won't obtain that respect if he launches a war and therefore will not attack the U.S. with a preemptive strike.  (there are other reasons also)

Kim Jong sees a S. Korea with 20,000 U.S. troops close to the N.Korean border and the U.S. and S. Korea holding regular joint military exercise every year in a show of force.  The U.S. Air Force also operates close to N. Korean territory with those military exercises.  N. Korea thinks those operations are provocative, the U.S. and S. Korea disagree.  N. Korea launches their missiles into the ocean, sometimes over flying S. Korea and Japan.  The U.S. thinks those launches are provocative.  Just last week the U.S. test launched one of its missiles that it intends to use in the missile defense being installed in S. Korea.  The U.S. spoke very little about that missile test.

The U.S. tells us that S. Korea would feel the brunt of N. Korea's military power if the U.S. attacked N. Korea and that would be a disaster for S. Korea and its people.  It seems our military feels that S. Korea is not a target for N.Korea to hit even though it is so near by unless the U.S. starts something.  S. Korea evidently feels the same way and its new President said he would try to have a dialog with Kim Jong.

Trump's threats mirror Kim Jong's threats to the U.S. but go deeper in vowing to rain down fire and fury never seen before. (what could be worse than a nuclear war?)  Trump is giving Kim Jong more attention than he deserves and makes China and Russia's military capabilities look sissy.  Trump's rhetoric on N. Korea is also Trumps way of trying to deflect his major problem with the investigation of his ties to Russia.  Kim Jong is the worst of the worst dictators and is brutal to his own people's civil rights and liberties.  He has to be dealt with in connection with the world that will lead to a united Korea of one nation and one people.

Its very easy for an unstable leader to act irrational and lose control.  Sane people with wisdom have to stand up and make their voices known to change the dialog and direction.

Note:  When Trump said, he would rain down fire and fury on N. Korea was he talking about the U.S. being in possession of a Particle Beam Weapon?  That is the only weapon this writer knows about that is more destructive than a nuclear bomb.  That is the ultimate weapon and the weapon used by the Aliens in the movie Independence Day.  In the book, The Day After Roswell, the author talks about the U.S. developing such a weapon.  Did Trump reveal once again what would be Top Secret?  It will be interesting to see if any one else picks up on that.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Sean Hannity Slapped Himself In The Face

Hannity, the Fox News conservative host who has been dealing in "fake news" for many years finally was caught.  His love affair with republicans ability to govern and accomplish much for the country even though the record says otherwise, recently slapped his own face with a tweet.

The republicans failure to repeal and replace the ACA produced a tweet from Hannity urging republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell to retire because of his failure to deliver on his promise to repeal and replace the ACA.  Over the years Hannity got caught up in his own "fake news" about promoting the ability of republicans to govern.  Hannity, Trump and the GOP are at each others throat trying to salvage the propaganda they themselves created.

Hannity is a big supporter of Trump on his program but never has asked Trump why he did not introduce his own health care plan as he said he would during the month of March.  Of course we all know the answer, Trump, like his party never had a plan.  Things are not going well for Hannity and Fox news.  Their lies are legendary like Trump's lies and every day Trump proves what this writer has pointed out in PolitiDose long ago, that is, business men who turn to politics seldom succeed.  Hannity may have a successful show but he sold his soul long ago to an ideology of division and hate.  And as the Trump administration has more set backs Hannity will continue to slap himself in the face.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

New Orleans: FLOODING

This Saturday the rain came down and flooded several sections of the city.  It was reported up to 7 or 8 inches of rain fell in just a few hours time.  People were stranded, cars had to be parked on the neutral ground or any high land.  Those who flooded wanted answers and rumors were rampant that the pumps were not working.  But with all that took place, nothing was really new, it was an event all too familiar because it was a repeat of the past.

When things go wrong, the blame game starts and the real problem and solution gives way to the politics of the moment.  The city council will meet in an emergency meeting and the S&WB will review all that happened.  Those candidates now running for Mayor will chip in with their comments and of course those who suffered damage are already out of patience.  And because the event was not new, tempers will deny a level headed approach to the problem.

The real problem is the water bowl the city sits in and a sewage and drainage infrastructure that has been neglected for over 30 plus years.  And until the funds are found and allocated to take care of that situation, Saturday's event will take place again.  A good start was FEMA's agreement and approval with the city to fund $2 billion to fund repairs for roads, sewer, water and drainage infrastructure cause by damage due to Hurricane's Katrina and Rita.  Those funds are now in danger because of the Trump administration.

The other problem of neglect is our political system that is so divisive that state and city budgets no longer put priorities first and as a result the service people rely on are under funded and neglect sets in.  All forms of taxes, which government needs and uses are unfair because taxes in general are not fair to all.  This writer has made several commentaries here in PolitiDose concerning every one should pay his or her fair share of taxes, even the poor and the reasons why.

Saturday's event will not be a wake up call if the status quo does not change.  If there is no real priority and commitment to fund the sewer, drainage and street neglect that has taken place, the city's future will repeat the past.  And keep in mind, if a commitment is made to take care of the problem, reversing 30 years of neglect will not be accomplished quickly.  But it must begin.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio